Kawhi Leonard on return to San Antonio, facing Spurs: ‘It's going to be fun'

After months of discussion about whether he will or he won’t, it appears Kawhi Leonard at least plans to play when the Raptors visit San Antonio on Thursday.

There’s been speculation that Leonard would sit out the Spurs game, his first since the offseason trade to Toronto, but after the Raptors win on Tuesday, Leonard was asked about the upcoming trip to San Antonio to face his old team.

“It’s going to be fun,” Leonard said via Raptors Report. “Everybody is anticipating the game and things like that can only get me better for the long run, so it’s going to be a good game.”

Leonard demanded a trade out of San Antonio over the summer after he became disgruntled with the only NBA franchise he had ever played with.

The All-Star forward reportedly stated he wanted to be traded to a Los Angeles area team, but the Spurs ultimately dealt Leonard to Toronto along with stalwart guard Danny Green.

Leonard has not publicly said much about his time with the Spurs. At media day in September, Leonard said he had no regrets about his decision to move on from the Alamo City and wanted to focus on his time in Toronto.

Leonard’s relationship with the Spurs became fractured last season as he only played in nine games due to a quadriceps injury. He has returned to his All-Star form this season with Toronto, averaging 27.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

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About the Author:

RJ Marquez is a reporter who has been at KSAT since 2010. He's covered a variety of stories and events across the San Antonio area. He also covers the Spurs for our on-air and digital platforms. You can see RJ regularly on KSAT News at 9 and Good Morning San Antonio.